Glossary Entry: Horizontal Board

NFL teams prepare two draft boards in preparation for the NFL draft, a horizontal board and a vertical board. The horizontal board shows not only a round grade for each prospect but their rank within the position. This helps a team understand alternatives available at various points in the draft. If they pass on a cornerback in the second round, can they still find someone they like in the third or fourth? The horizontal board helps clarify where there are groups of similarly-ranked talent and where there are “cliffs” where the talent drops off, helping identify “sweet spots” for each position they plan to draft.

Most teams rely on a horizontal board for most of the draft. Draft day photos through the years have shown the Cowboys’ draft boards, and savvy fans have reconstructed near-complete horizontal boards based on these photos. This helps shed light on their decision-making. In 2013, he Cowboys had the opportunity to select Florida defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd, whom they had a first-round grade on according to their reconstructed board, but instead they traded back and chose Wisconsin center Travis Frederick, who had a second-round grade.

Pundits criticized the team for passing on Floyd, but Frederick makes sense in the context of the horizontal board. He was the only center Dallas graded out in the first three rounds, and they put a draftable grade on only three centers. Had they passed on Frederick, they would have had a tough time filling that key role, but with eight other defensive tackles getting a round 1 to round 3 grade, they had more options there (though, as it turns out, they did not select a DT).

With few other options and a need at the position, the team pulled the trigger on Frederick, who has since become a key member of a great offensive line. The horizontal board helped the Cowboys identify the need to strike early at center, and solidify one of the top position groups in the NFL.

Dave Archibald is a native New Englander who lives 15 minutes from Foxboro Stadium with his wife and two children. He writes about secondary play, statistics, team building, and whatever tangents his lifelong football education takes him on.